“Teach me of That you see beyond right and wrong.”

🌷 Katho Upanishad 🌷

       

       Chapter 3

      

       The grace of the divine

      🌻 Day 22 🌻 

अन्यत्र धर्मादन्यत्राधर्मा–

त्रास्मात्कृताकृतात् ।

अन्यत्र भूताच्च भव्याच्च 

यत्तत्पश्यषि तद्वद ॥

What nachiketa said next is very beautiful. A student usually says, “Teach me what

is right.” But Nachiketa said, “Teach me of That you see beyond right and wrong.” He has transcended the limited logic of the mind. There is beautiful quote in Sanskrit,

दुर्जनम प्रथमम् वन्दे, सज्जनम् तदन्तरम्

I bow down to the wicked, for he is teaching me the lesson at his own cost. The one who is teaching me the lesson by falling into the pit needs to be appreciated first.

Then, I thank the wise, who guides me to the right path. How beautiful is this! Doesn’t make your emotion light and uplifted? You are left with no other emotion than gratefulness and thankfulness. Nothing else it left. 

We used to learn these couplets in schools. They are so useful. They are called subhashita. 

There is one more couplet. The more a piece of sandalwood is ground, the more fragrance it emits. If you walk by a sandalwood tree, you don’t get any fragrance. Similarly, the sugarcane is so hard, it does not smell sweet. Only when you crush the sugarcane, the sweetness comes. The more you beat the gold, the more it shines.

If you think the world is crushing you, know that you are a sugarcane. If the world is beating you, know that you are gold. If you think people are taking advantage of you, think you are getting glorified. Know that you are a sandalwood and you are being ground. When you think something is wrong that makes you unhappy. When you think something is right that makes you unhappy as well.

Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji

Katho Upanishad